Publication:
From villain to agent of Asgard: A not so heroic journey

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Authors
Rivera Santos, Paola C.
Embargoed Until
Advisor
Haydock, Nickolas
College
College of Arts and Sciences - Art
Department
Department of English
Degree Level
M.A.E.E.
Publisher
Date
2021-07-01
Abstract
This thesis focuses on a close study of the recent comic book and cinematic adaptations of the Marvel character Loki and how he is part of a redefining movement. The hero is going through a shift in definition and qualities. More and more stories feature protagonists who no longer fit the mold of the hero, and instead, antiheros are taking the spotlight. This thesis brings forth the possibility that these antiheros are in fact a new era of heroes in popular culture. In order to showcase this, The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell is used alongside Loki’s own journey during the cinematic Marvel Universe from his first appearance in Thor to Avengers: End Game, in addition to his comic book appearances in Loki: Journey into Mystery and Loki: Agent of Asgard. In short, this thesis draws parallels between Campbell’s journey and Loki’s journey, to demonstrate that despite their differences, they both end with the character becoming a hero. As a result, this puts into question the very definition of what it means to be a hero.

Esta tesis se enfoca en analizar las adaptaciones recientes de las películas y “comics” de Marvel del personaje de Loki y cómo personajes como él, están cambiando lo que significa ser un héroe, ya que lo que significa ser uno está cambiando. Cada vez hay más historias donde el protagonista ya no encaja bajo los esteriotipos que existen de los héroes, por ende, personajes anti-heroicos están tomando apogeo. Esta tesis discute la posibilidad de que estos anti-héroes en realidad son la nueva era de héroes. Para poder demostrar esto, en esta tesis usamos el libro de Joseph Campbell titulado The Hero with a Thousand Faces para estudiar los paralelos entre el camino que Campbell describe, con el que Loki toma a través de las películas de Marvel, desde Thor hasta Avengers: Endgame, en adición a los comics Loki: Journey into Mystery y Loki: Agent of Asgard. A pesar de las diferencias encontradas entre lo que la trayectoria que un héroe debe de tomar, según Campbell y la historia de Loki, ambas terminan con sus protagonistas convirtiendose en héroes. Como resultado, esto pone en perspectiva la definición establecida de qué significa ser un héroe.
Keywords
Antihero,
Loki,
Hero,
Villain,
Hero's journey
Usage Rights
Except where otherwise noted, this item’s license is described as Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
Cite
Rivera Santos, P. C. (2021). From villain to agent of Asgard: A not so heroic journey [Thesis]. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11801/2821